A snubber spool with detachable base plates includes a base flange with a plurality of spaced-apart load pins received in through bores in the base plates. Tie plates with bores for receiving top ends of the load pins are mounted over the base plates in an offset orientation with respect to the base plates. A load nut that engages a pin thread on an outer sidewall of the snubber spool is tightened down on the tie plates to lock the base plates to the snubber spool.
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18. detachable base plates for a snubber spool having a base flange on an outer sidewall of the snubber spool with a plurality of load pins retained by a base flange and a load nut having a box thread that engages a pin thread on the outer sidewall of the snubber spool above the base flange, the detachable base plates comprising:
at least two base plates respectively having inner ends with a plurality of through bores respectively located to collectively receive a respective one of the plurality of load pins; and
at least two tie plates respectively having a plurality of bores respectively located to respectively receive one of the load pins;
whereby the at least two base plates are mounted over the load pins, the tie plates are mounted over the load pins so that joints between the at least two tie plates do not coincide with joints between the at least two base plates, and the load nut is tightened over the tie plates to lock the base plates to the load flange of the snubber spool.
1. A snubber spool with detachable base plates, comprising:
a base flange affixed to an outer sidewall of the snubber spool, the base flange supporting a plurality of spaced-apart load pins that are secured to the base flange and extend above a top surface of the base flange;
at least two base plates respectively having inner ends with a plurality of through bores respectively located to respectively receive one of the load pins when the inner ends of the at least two base plates are placed on the top surface of the base flange;
at least two tie plates respectively having a plurality of bores respectively located to respectively receive one of the top ends of the respective load pins when the at least two tie plates are placed on the inner ends of the at least two base plates; and
a load nut having a box thread that engages a pin thread on the outer sidewall of the snubber spool above the base flange;
whereby the base plates are mounted over the load pins in a first orientation, the tie plates are mounted over the load pins in a second orientation different from the first orientation, and the load nut is tightened over the tie plates to lock the base plates to the snubber spool.
11. A snubber spool with detachable base plates, comprising:
a base flange on an outer sidewall of the snubber spool, the base flange supporting a plurality of spaced-apart load pins that extend above a top surface of the base flange parallel to the outer sidewall;
at least two base plates respectively having inner ends shaped to collectively surround the outer sidewall of the snubber spool, the inner ends including a plurality of bores respectively located to respectively receive one of the load pins;
at least two tie plates respectively having inner ends shaped to collectively surround the outer sidewall of the snubber spool, the tie plates including a plurality of bores respectively located to respectively receive a top end of one of the load pins; and
a load nut having a box thread that engages a pin thread on the outer sidewall of the snubber spool above the base flange;
whereby the at least two base plates are mounted over the load pins in a first orientation, the at least two tie plates are mounted over the load pins in a second orientation different from the first orientation, and the load nut is tightened over the at least two tie plates to lock the at least two base plates to the snubber spool.
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20. The detachable base plates as claimed in
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This is the first application filed for this invention.
This invention relates in general to equipment used for hydrocarbon well completion, re-completion or workover and, in particular, to a snubber spool with detachable base plates.
As is well known, all hydrocarbon wells require completion, and most wells require re-completion or workover. It is also well known that these operations are preferably performed without killing the well. Most completion, re-completion and workover operations require that a high-pressure mandrel or tubing, often with attached downhole tool(s), be stroked into or out of a wellhead or a wellbore while downhole fluids under pressure are controlled. In order to ensure that the well fluids do not escape to atmosphere, well control equipment such as blowout preventers (BOPs) must be used to control the well while a rig, jacks or hydraulic cylinders are used to move the high-pressure mandrel or tubing as desired. Although stacks of two or more BOPs can be used to control a well when tubing and/or downhole tool(s) are being inserted into or removed from a well, it is often more economical to use a “snubber spool” in conjunction with a single BOP for well control.
A snubber spool, also referred to as an “anchor spool”, is described in Assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,525 which issued on May 1, 2007 and is entitled Apparatus For Controlling A Tool Having A Mandrel That Must Be Stroked Into Or Out Of A Well, the entire specification of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The pressure balance/bleed port 24 is controlled by a shutoff valve 25. Lifting eyes 26a, 26b provide convenient attachment points for lifting the snubber spool 10 on to or off of a wellhead, truck or the like. A top end 28 of the snubber spool 10 is configured as required to provide a fluid seal around a tubing or mandrel to be stroked into or out of a wellhead or a wellbore, and to provide a connection for a wellhead isolation tool or any one of many adapters known in the art. In this embodiment the top end of the snubber spool 10 is configured for a threaded connection, but the top end 28 may also terminate in a flange, a Grayloc® connector, or the like.
The superstructure 30 shown in
Alternatively, the superstructure 30 may be connected to the base plate 12 using a quick-connect system shown in
While the snubber spool 10 has proved very useful and commercially successful, the base plate 12 interferes with free movement around the wellhead and complicates handling and transportation of the snubber spool 10.
Therefore there exists a need for a snubber spool with a detachable base plate that can be readily removed when the base plate is not in use.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a snubber spool with detachable base plates that are readily removed from the snubber spool when the base plates are not in use.
The invention therefore provides a snubber spool with detachable base plates, comprising: a base flange affixed to an outer sidewall of the snubber spool, the base flange supporting a plurality of spaced-apart load pins that extend above a top surface of the base flange; at least two base plates respectively having inner ends with a plurality of through bores respectively located to respectively receive one of the load pins; at least two tie plates respectively having a plurality of bores respectively located to respectively receive one of the top ends of the respective load pins; and a load nut having a box thread that engages a pin thread on the outer sidewall of the snubber spool above the base flange; whereby the base plates are mounted over the load pins in a first orientation, the tie plates are mounted over the load pins in a second orientation different from the first orientation, and the load nut is tightened over the tie plates to lock the base plates to the snubber spool.
The invention further provides a snubber spool with detachable base plates, comprising: a base flange affixed to an outer sidewall of the snubber spool, the base flange supporting a plurality of spaced-apart load pins that extend above a top surface of the base flange parallel to the outer sidewall; a pair of base plates respectively having inner ends shaped to collectively surround the outer sidewall of the snubber spool, the inner ends including a plurality of bores respectively located to respectively receive one of the load pins; a pair of tie plates respectively having inner ends shaped to collectively surround the outer sidewall of the snubber spool, the tie plates including a plurality of bores respectively located to respectively receive a top end of one of the load pins; and a load nut having a box thread that engages a pin thread on the outer sidewall of the snubber spool above the base flange; whereby the base plates are mounted over the load pins on opposite sides of the snubber spool in a first orientation, the tie plates are mounted over the load pins on opposite sides of the snubber spool in a second orientation different from the first orientation, and the load nut is tightened over the tie plates to lock the base plates to the snubber spool.
The invention yet further provides detachable base plates for a snubber spool having a base flange affixed to an outer sidewall of the snubber spool with a plurality of load pins retained by a base flange and a load nut having a box thread that engages a pin thread on the outer sidewall of the snubber spool above the base flange, the detachable base plates comprising: at least two base plates respectively having inner ends with a plurality of through bores respectively located to collectively receive a respective one of the plurality of load pins retained by a base flange affixed to an outer sidewall of the snubber spool; and at least two tie plates respectively having a plurality of bores respectively located to respectively receive one of the load pins; whereby the at least two base plates are mounted over the load pins, the tie plates are mounted over the load pins so that joints between the at least two tie plates do not coincide with joints between the at least two base plates, and the load nut is tightened over the tie plates to lock the base plates to the load flange of the snubber spool.
Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG 1b a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a prior art quick-connect system for the superstructure shown in
The invention provides a snubber spool with detachable base plates for supporting a superstructure used to stroke a mandrel, tubing and/or downhole tool(s) into or out of a wellhead or a cased wellbore. The snubber spool includes a base flange that supports a plurality of spaced-apart load pins. The base plates have inner ends with spaced-apart through bores for receiving the load pins. Tie plates with spaced apart bores are placed on top of the base plates so that the load pins are received in the tie plate bores. A load nut threaded to an outer sidewall of the snubber spool is tightened down over the tie plates to secure the base plates to the snubber spool. Since the base plates are easily attached to and detached from the snubber spool, the base plates can be removed any time they are not in use. This permits free movement around the snubber spool so that convenience and safety are enhanced and transportation of the snubber spool is facilitated.
The snubber spool 100 has a base flange 108, which may be an integral part of the sidewall 101 or welded to the sidewall 101. The base flange 108 includes a plurality of spaced-apart bores 110 that are parallel to the sidewall 101 and receive load pins 112. In this embodiment, the load pins 112 have pin-threaded bottom ends 114 that engage box threads in the bores 110. However, the load pins 112 may be integrally formed with the base flange 108, welded in the bores 110, or otherwise secured therein in any manner known in the art. In one embodiment, the load pins are made of 4140 steel.
A plurality of spaced apart bores 116 in the inner ends of the base plates 102a, 102b respectively receive one of the load pins 112. Similar bores 118 in the tie plates 104a, 104b receive top ends of the load pins 112 after the base plates 102a, 102b are placed over the load pins 112. A load nut 120 locks the base plates 102a, 102b and the tie plates 104a, 104b to the load flange 108. The outer sidewall 101 of the snubber spool 100 includes a pin thread 122 above the load flange 108. The load nut 120 has a box thread 123 that engages the pin thread 122. A bottom surface 124 of the load nut 120 bears on a top surface of the respective tie plates 104a, 104b. A tie plate cavity 126 receives a tie plate ridge 128a, 128b on the respective tie plates 104a, 104b when the tie plate 120 is tightened down to lock the base plates 102a, 102b to the load flange 108, as will also be explained below in more detail with reference to
The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be only exemplary of the snubber spool with detachable base plates in accordance with the invention, and not a complete description of every possible form or configuration of the snubber spool or the base plates. The scope of the invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Dec 04 2007 | ARTHERHOLT, DANNY LEE | STINGER WELLHEAD PROTECTION, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 020201 | /0215 | |
Dec 05 2007 | Stinger Wellhead Protection, Inc. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Dec 31 2011 | STINGER WELLHEAD PROTECTION, INCORPORATED | OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L L C | MERGER SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 029131 | /0638 | |
Feb 10 2021 | OIL STATES INTERNATIONAL, INC | Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 055314 | /0482 |
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